In the News

Marathon Drugs Increases Price 70-Fold – 2/10/17 More predation by pharma. Marathon has gotten a decades old muscular dystrophy drug, deflazacort, approved and is charging $89,000 a year for it. It’s price in Europe is under $1500/year. Where are the free market forces? Why aren’t our elected officials protecting us from this egregious practice?

Promising New Prostate Cancer Treatment – 2/2/17 A new and very effective prostate cancer treatment, reported here, has a two-year relapse rate of around 25%. Though clearly not a cure, it has a major benefit in that, unlike all other treatments, it has no. Light fibres are inserted in the prostate, rather like a biopsy, and a light-sensitive drug is administered. The cancerous tissue is killed, and all else left alone. Would certainly be worth a try.

Hypertension Developing Late in Life Halves Onset of Dementia – 1/21/17 Research here indicate that people who develop hypertension in late in life has almost half the reate of dementia. Yet more proof that hypertension has a purpose and unless it is off the charts, is best left alone.

Lowest Stroke Rates in Older Baby Boomers; Younger People Rising– 9/12/16 reports the American Heart Association, here. There could be numerous factors at work. Less smoking among the baby boomers and less healthy diet among the young would be our guess.

Sugar Lobby Promotes Sugar– 11/13/16 Surreal. JAMA reports here that the sugar lobby has been systematically attempting to put the blame for heart diseases on something other than sugar. What were they supposed to do? They’re the sugar lobby. The real question is, “Why did Standard Medicine buy it?”

Zika Breakthrough– 8/30/16 Reported here and elsewhere, two existing (already approved) drugs appear to be effective against Zika. If this pans out, it will speed things up immeasurably.

AHA Limits Added Sugar– 8/17/16 A sensible recommendation from the American Heart Association limits sugar for children aged 2-18 to fewer than 6 teaspoons a day. Paper here. A better recommendation: Fewer than 0 teaspoons added sugar per day for all children aged 0-110.

Calcium Supplements Linked to Dementia– 8/17/16 A report in the journal Neurology, here, links calcium supplements to dementia in some groups of women. The risk, alarmingly, is double for this group.

Suppression of Antioxidants Kills Pancreatic Cancer cells– 7/28/16 Researchers at Cold Springs Harbor Labs find that antioxidants are, in some cases, aiding cancer, and by suppressing the antioxidants, the oxidants are then able to kill the cancer. Link here.

High Cholesterol Found to be Cancer Protective– 7/9/16 A study presented at a British Cardiovascular Society Conference, link here, finds that high cholesterol is significantly protective for four common cancers: breast, prostate, lung, and colorectal. Reasons for this are unknown.

Zinc Acetate Lozenges Reduce Length of Common Cold– 7/6/16 Zinc for a cold is a Dr. Mike favorite. Here’s some science to back it up. A study published here finds that Zinc Acetate Lozenges shorten common colds by three days.

BMJ Article: Bad Cholesterol Isn’t Bad After All– 6/13/16 This is huge. In BMJ Open, here, a peer reviewed study finds that high “bad” cholesterol, aka LDL-cholesterol, is inversely associated with mortality. Higher levels=less death. The stuff is good for you. This is heresy of the first water. Expect a huge blow-back. The lipid hypothysis—that high LDL cholesterol causes heart disease—is ingrained in the medical community like an eleventh commandment. It has never been proven, and kudos to BMJ for daring to run this article. (We would crow that we have repeatedly posted that the dangers of LDL cholesterol were nonexistent, but we will be nice and refrain.)

Stem Cell Injection Reversed Strokes– 6/6/16 At Stanford, reported here, stroke patients receiving injection of mesenchymal stem cells directly into the brain experienced, in some cases, dramatic improvement. If this research holds up, this is an astounding result. “This wasn’t just, ‘They couldn’t move their thumb, and now they can.’ Patients who were in wheelchairs are walking now,” said lead researcher Steinberg.

Bariactric Surgery Now Recommended for Diabetes– 5/26/16 The American Diabetes Association (ADA), and other groups, have now endorsed bariactric surgery (stomach stapling) as a treatment for adult onset or type 2 diabetes (ADOM). We are not making this up. Report here. Of course the ADA dietary recommendations are almost guaranteed to prolong AODM, so we suppose some sort of strange logic is at work here. For the surgery-free, drug-free Quantitative Medicine method, click here.

Low Salt May Be Dangerous – 5/20/16 The prestigious British journal Lancet reports here that low salt intake is more dangerous than high intake. This is heresy, of course, and the article, the magazine, and the authors have already been condemned and will be burnt at the stake. The QM view is that high salt intake is a fairly minor factor. In this article, high intake is worse only for those with high blood pressure, whereas low salt intake is dangerous to those with high blood pressure, and those with normal blood pressure. Again, standard-practice medicine has been making things worse.

JAMA Discovers QM – 5/19/16 The prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reports here that secession of of smoking, non-heavy drinking, and exercise reduce cancer. Now while it’s wonderful that they have now seen the light, or at least are circling around it, hasn’t this been obvious for the last 50 years? They studied only white males. Are they setting us up for a sequel? Let’s spoil that one: it works for everybody.

Calcium/Vitamin D Causes a Stroke or Heart Attack for Each Fracture prevented – 5/12/16 From a Norwegian study reported here, “Our analysis shows that if 100,000 65-year-old women take 1000 mg calcium every day, 5890 hip fractures and 3820 other fractures would be prevented. On the other hand, as many as 5917 heart attacks and 4373 strokes could be caused.” A horrid tradeoff made worse by the fact that osteoporosis is easily prevented and reversed with no supplements needed. See posts here, here, and here

Medical Error Third Leading Cause of Death in U.S. – 5/3/16 This is not news. As a leading cause of death in hospitals,medical error has been a focal area for almost 20 years. However, findings published here in the British Medical Journal.indicate the the problem is far from solved. Deaths due to medical error represent around 10% of deaths, some 250,000. One problem, according to the article, is that adequate records aren’t kept: the deaths are often attributed to something else. Best strategy: stay out of hospitals.

Big Pharma to World: Take Something! – 4/21/16 From JAMA, here, a trial was conducted for patients who couldn’t tolerate stains.(42%, in fact). The “solution” was to give them ezetimibe, a drug with no known benefit and some probably harm, a drug currently approved for a very, very narrow cohort of off-the-charts high cholesterol. Only 27% could not stand this drug, so the trial was considered a success. The drug industry seems insistent on cramming ezetimibe down our throats. To even embark on this strange experiment shows a callousness and disregard for patient benefit that surprises even us.

Is Fructose Highly Dangerous? – 4/21/16 Maybe. From UCLA we have a finding that fructose is linked to detrimental changes to hundreds of brain genes. Press release here. Scary stuff, and it makes some sense. The body goes to a lot of trouble to keep dietary fructose out of circulation, converting most of it to a concentrated form of glucose called glycogen, and rapidly removing any excess that does get into circulation. The reason for this aversion to fructose is not known, but the research sited above may provide a significant clue. Besides a major sugar component of fruit, table sugar is a 50-50 mix of fructose and glucose, as is high-fructose corn syrup, a ubiquitous food additive.

Are Proton Pump Inhibitors Overprescribed? – 4/15/16 A new report In the Journal of the American Society of Nephrolog seems to indicate that long term use of proton pump inhibitors, which significant reduce stomach acidity, causes increased kidney disease. Such drugs are widely prescribed and are also available over-the-counter. Though likely safe for short-term use, longer term consumption seems to have problems.

FDA Pulls Plug on Combo Drug – 4/15/16 In a rare glimmer of sanity, the FDA has withdrawn approval on a drug called Niaspan, which is a combination of statins and niacin. The approval was made in 1997. Given that is know that statins are practically useless, and that niacin actually increases heart problems, you may wonder what they were waiting for. So do we.Might they now consider the rest of the dangerous drugs out there? Details here.

Interesting Alzheimer’s-Insulin Result – 4/13/16 An NYU business school researcher has connected some interesting dots. It is well know that high insulin is involved in Alzheimers, but the connection wasn’t clear. It seems that the enzyme that breaks down insulin is the same one that breaks down amyloid-beta plaque, the tangled mess that is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s. Schiller’s idea is that perhaps the all the enzyme resources are spent on the high insulin, and the amyoid-beta doesn’t get removed. Details here.

Another Early Cancer Detection Breakthrough – 4/8/16 Researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH, have created an optical biosensor for cancer detection that is a million times more sensitive than previous versions, pointing the way toward an effective early detection system for cancer and other illnesses.This might greatly improve early detection, which is ket to fighting cancer.Details here.

Choral Singing May Reduce Cancer – 4/5/16Researchers in Wales have determined that choral group singing improves levels of several anti-cancer hormones and biochemicals. Paper can be found here. In view of the next news item, the song Java Jive should probably be included in the repertoire.

Coffee Reduces Colorectal Cancer 50% – 4/1/16 Researchers at USC report “We found that drinking coffee is associated with lower risk of colorectal cancer, and the more coffee consumed, the lower the risk.” The press release is here. Dramatics reductions of up to 50% were seen. This area has been controversial for 20 years. The mechanism of cancer prevention is unknown, though it doesn’t seem to be caffeine, as decaf works as well.

Early Cancer Detection Breakthrough – 3/29/16Researchers at UCLA have developed a PET probe capable of producing far better images in certain types of cancers. With cancer, early detection is key. Clinical trials of the procedure may begin this year. Further info here.

Blonds Found to Be Non-Dumb – 3/23/16 A study here has found that blonds have a slightly higher IQ that non-blond people.Quoting,”Blonde women have a higher mean IQ than women with brown, red and black hair. Blondes are more likely classified as geniuses and less likely to have extremely low IQ.” It is hard to predict what researchers will think of to do research on. How about: “Do Blonds Have More Fun?”

Meal Time More Important Than Previously Thought – 3/17/16 Every traveler know that disrupting the circadian rhythm—the sleep cycle— is no picnic. New research from the Weizmann Institute indicates that not only is the body locked into this cycle, but even our mitochondria are. Mitochondria are tiny bacterial like cells found within almost all our own cells that convert the food we eat to energy. They apparently have time-driven hungry states, wherein they are ready and willing to convert the food to energy, and sleepy state as well. This means having meals at a regular time is more critical than previously thought.

Alzheimer’s and Brain Research – 3/17/16 There are almost daily reports of discoveries or possible breakthroughs involving Alzheimer’s and the brain. Just today, there are three such reports, all on mice, and so it is unknown if the results would carry over. There are reports of new neurons grown from stem cells, lost memories reactivate through light flashes, and increasing available neural energy by injecting pyruvate, an intermediate of glucose metabolism. A very active area.

Antidepressants Increase Mortality – 3/16/16 A study from Auburn and University of Alabama show a slight increase in mortality with uses of second generation anti-depressants.Report here. Knowledge of this will likely offset any anti-depression benefit as well. I much stronger anti-depressant that features a very strong reduction of mortality is exercise.

Canadian Medicine Discovers Exercise – 3/14/16 Canadian Medical Association announces: “Many doctors and their patients aren’t aware that exercise is a treatment for these chronic conditions and can provide as much benefit as drugs or surgery, and typically with fewer harms.” Not really. It actually provides A LOT MORE benefit. Bit it’s a step for organized medicine. Next week: hot water.

Exercise Reduces Alzheimer’s 50% – 3/11/16 No surprise at our end. But here, another study demonstrates the most effect way to prevent Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s Caused By Microbes? – 3/10/16 Researchers have reported that a virus and two types of bacteria are a major cause of Alzheimers. A microbial connection has been (and probably will remain) controversial. However, the causes of Alzheimer’s are not known.

Magic Pill Announced – 3/4/16 Drug companies adore lifelong drugs, and the latest “breakthrough” combines statins, blood pressure reducers, aspirin, and adult onset diabetes medication, and is called a Polypill. However none of these four have shown any mortality benefit, and all of them have serious side effects. But in combination, they are suddenly magical? The idea seems to be to get rid of screening and blood testa altogether, and put everyone over 50 on this pill. This idea is so bad, it would be praising it to call it crazy.

Breast Cancer Breakthrough – 3/3/16 A new drug combo is very effective against the HER-2 variant of breast cancer. A fourth of those treated saw dramatic reduction in tumor size, while in an additional 11% the tumor completely disappeared, in under two weeks. Details here.

Television Exposure Directly Linked To A Thin Body Ideal In Women – 2/22/16 The only real question here is: Are they paying grown-ups to come up with this? It’s a real study. Details here. What will they study next? How about: Driving Blindfolded May Increase Accident Risk.

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Cancer Basics – Part 2 – Diagnosis and Prognosis

Cancer is a disorder of the DNA. The body has numerous defenses against cancer. A successful tumor must evade them all to become life threatening. Cancers are staged according to this success. Many cancers are curable if caught early.

Summarizing briefly, a cancerous cell is one that is proliferating uncontrollably due to DNA damage. Usually it is stem cells that become cancerous due to their inherent ability to divide.

A cancer must undergo a sequence of mutation to become dangerous. This varies from case to case, but here is a typical list

A mutation in a cell’s DNA must happen.

This mutation must cause uncontrolled division

Cellular safeguards against such proliferation must be disabled.

Programmed cell death – apoptosis – must be blocked.

Cell senescence must be blocked.

The mutation has to evade the immune system.

To grow larger than a raisin, the cancer must develop a blood supply.

The growing tumor must escape detection.

The tumor must now metastasize and enter the blood stream.

The cancer will have to evade detection in the bloodstream.

The tumor must burrow back out of the bloodstream or lymph system and inflict itself on some other organ.

Depending on where the metastatic tumor material landed, additional mutation may be needed.

Such a sequence seeme quite improbable, and it is. However, we have trillions of cells that could become candidates, so the improbable events do occasionally happen.

The Key Stages of Cancer

Cancer staging varies from cancer to cancer, and roughly reflects how far into the above sequence of mutations the cancer has traveled. A system in general use is the TNM system (also known as the UICC or AJCC system). TNM stands respectively for Tumor, lymph Node, and Metastasis.

The T score identifies the size of the primary tumor. A following number indicates tumor size. T0 means no tumor found, with 1 through 4 indicating larger sizes. N0 means no spread to the nearby lymph nodes, and numbers 1-3 indicate the extent of the spread. Finally, M0 indicates no metastases, and M1 indicates some were found.

Many specific cancers use variants of this system, and some cancers use completely different systems. Breast cancer uses TMN and a I, II, III, & IV system as well. Colon cancer has an ABCD system as well as TMN.

Curing Cancer Requires Medical Intervention

A cancer that has gotten far enough to be detectable is not likely to go away on its own. It is possible, but bear in mind that a tumor large enough to be detected has probably gotten past the angiogenesis stage. This is a tumor on the march. Even with improvements in lifestyle, reversal is not likely. Because of this, by far the best chance is medical intervention. This can mean removal of the tumor by surgery or killing it in place with chemotherapy or radiation. Caught early, these therapies are very effective, and surgical procedures, radiation, and chemo are becoming far more precise and less destructive to surrounding tissue.

Catching a tumor early requires looking for it, and there is currently an unfortunate trend away from screening, a topic we will cover presently.

Early Detection is Extremely Important

If a tumor is detected, and is local, meaning it has not spread to the lymph node nor metastasized, recovery is highly likely for some cancers and less likely for others. Here are the odds of 5 year survival for several common cancers :

Cancer Type

Localized

Spread to Lymph Nodes

Metastatic

Chance of getting it

Chance of dying from it.

Malignant Melanoma

90%

10%

2.5%

0.5%

Squamous Cell Skin Cancer

~100%

10%

7.5%

0.01%

Bladder Cancer

88%

55%

15%

2.5%

0.6%

Breast Cancer

~100%

72%

22%

12%

3%

Prostate Cancer

~100%

~100%

28%

15%

2.6%

Colorectal Cancer

92%

65%

11%

4.6%

1.9%

Esophageal Cancer

40%

21%

4%

0.9%

0.7%

Lung Cancer

31%

15%

2%

6.8%

5.8%

Pancreatic Cancer

14%

7%

1%

1.5%

1.35%

Liver Cancer

28%

7%

2%

Leukemia

Varies

Varies

Varies

1.4%

0.8%

Now even with a ‘war on cancer’ that began 50 years ago, there is no clear evidence we are winning. Certainly there are breakthroughs, but people live longer, and can then get more cancer, plus heart disease is down and Adult Onset Diabetes is up, both of which tend to skew disease toward cancer. In fact, cancer is now the leading cause of death in America, UK and France.

But look at the above chart. Melanoma, breast cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, and bladder cancer are essentially curable if caught early. Nonetheless, they account for half the cancer deaths. Indeed a full 50% of cancer victims today may be dying needlessly.

Doesn’t this scream prevention – prevention – prevention? Yet the trend is clearly away from screening and little effort is in place to emphasize the role of prevention. A panoply of excuses are offered for this: not cost effective, stressful, over-treated etc. But this cut in the screening is a death sentence for a huge number of people.

If you have the ear of anyone influential, for the sake of all of us, bend it. We don’t need less detection. We need better processing of the results. Obviously.

Cancers That Can Be Detected While They Are Curable

These cancers are detectable at stages where they are still curable:

Colorectal. These are detectable with a colonoscopy, either a real one or a virtual one, which is slightly less unpleasant. This should start at 40. Forty year olds do not typically get colon cancer, but a full 20% of them have something pre-cancerous that ought to be closely watched. CEA, normally present only during a pregnancy, could indicate colorectal cancer. Change is important, so a history of the measurement should be maintained. CEA could also be present in people with breast, pancreatic, or lung cancer.

Breast Cancer. This is detectable by self-examination. 70-80% of cancers are, in fact, initially detected this way. Standard practice calls for mammograms. Mammograms have a ‘false alarm’ issue in that they detect ‘Ductal Carcinoma in Situ’ (DCIS) whish is really a pre-cancerous condition. Most, but not all DCIS goes away of its own accord. After any initial indication of a problem, the usual procedure is to follow up with MRIs, ultrasounds, biopsies, and other tests. As a preventive measure, insulin, IGF-1 and estradiol can be monitored. If these are in normal ranges and ratios, breast cancer risk is significantly reduced.

Prostate Cancer. This can be detected with a PSA measurement, a simple blood test. There are several other detection methods, including ultra sound, MRIs and biopsies. PSA alone is not a very good indicator. It is the rate of change that is important. For this reason, it is very desirable to have a series of measurements.

Squanous Cell Skin Cancer. Spotted as an abnormal skin growth.

Malignant melanoma. Any dark or mole like spot anywhere needs to be checked by a doctor.

Liver Cancer. AFP, a blood test, normally present only in pregnancy, could indicate liver or pancreatic cancer. Change is important, so a history of the measurement should be maintained. AFP could also be present in people with ovarian or testicular cancer. It is also often abnormal in fatty liver disease of alcoholic or non-alcoholic origin.

Ovarian cancer. CA125 may indicate ovarian cancer. Trend is more important than level, so it is important to have a series of measurements. CA-125 can be abnormal in endometriosis, early menopause of PCOS so always, and with everything, interpret with care. High AFP may also indicate ovarian cancer.

All except the skin cancers could show up on a full body scan. The resolution of such a scan is 3-4 millimeters. A tumor that size may have accomplished the angiogenesis step (growing a new blood supply), or not. If not, it is for the time being, stuck at that size. A targeted MRI has a finer resolution, and can get down to about a millimeter.

The Trend Away From Screening

This is thoroughly disturbing. Prostate cancer is a great example. The reasoning is that most men will get prostate cancer, but most will not die from it, but when an elevated PSA is detected, men panic and opt for surgery. So we should stop detecting it? Perhaps we could instead persuade the eager surgeons and radiologists to refrain from rushing the patient into a lucrative surgery or other pricey procedure. Probably treatment is not necessary, but this can be monitored. Ignoring it solves nothing and sentences many to death. The other cancers seem to have similar screening stories. We will have more to say on this in the cancer sidebars.

It may be the case that the trend away from screening has financial roots as well.

‘Miracle’ Cures Are Rare

Miracle cures do happen. However, they don’t happen reliably. Otherwise they wouldn’t be considered miracles. They are very rare, something like 1 in 50,000 terminal cancers goes away. It makes for good stories, but not for good medicine. By far the best shot is with the medical experts. There has been progress and will be more. In fact, the grim survival odds presented above represent the past. There are already improvements that make the current prospects somewhat brighter.

Given the curability of many of the more common cancers, it makes sense to screen early and often. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. Remind anyone that uses ‘cost effectiveness’ arguments that you are an individual, not a statistic, and that you and you alone can decide how much your health is worth. Insist on the tests. Waiting and hoping can be disastrous.

In Part 3, we will explain how lifestyle choices affect cancer incidence, and can lower recurrence rates should cancer be found, and, further, how to change and measure your lifestyle to maximize your protection against cancer.

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Why does Quantitative Medicine work?

Many sites offer nice-sounding advice about nutrition and exercise, but almost none have actually put this advice to work in a large-scale clinical setting. Starting in the late 90s, Dr. Mike Nichols operated a clinic wherein each patient was quantified with blood tests and other measurements, and an optimum diet and exercise regime suggested.
This became a continual process and Dr. Mike has accumulated data on hundreds of people for almost 20 years. At this point in the process, he knows what works, what doesn’t, how to restore health, slow aging, and block degenerative disease. But the formula is different for everyone, and without measurement, lifestyle recommendations are just a medical guessing game. Is Paleo best? For some, sure. But without measurement, there is no way to tell.
But more importantly, when the optimum lifestyle is determined, implemented, and actually achieved, almost all people get well, and life’s chronic diseases are slowed, often reversed.
This is no idle claim or hopeful promise. This has already worked in a clinical setting, long-term and with real people. Given how different people are, it is folly to try to apply a one-size-fits-all set of recommendations. The sooner this is realized, the faster the planet will get well. Quantitative Medicine is the future.

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Mike Nichols, M.D.

Charles Davis, Ph.D.

What Is Quantitative Medicine?

Quantitative medicine is the practice of determining and modifying your health guided by direct measurement of meaningful biological markers. Everyone is different. The best diet is unique to each of us. Diet markers must be directly and precisely measured.

Why Are We Doing This?

My practice has been highly successful. Many many people have gotten well, have avoided degenerative diseases, have extended their lives. But my practice is full.
By starting this blog, I am taking the first steps to make Quantitative Medicine available to everyone. You, the patient, supply the self-discipline, physical, mental, and spiritual perseverance, and we will supply the information and resources you need to realize the full benefits of Quantitative Medicine.
By measurement, an optimally healthy lifestyle can be determined for anyone. The results are profound and pervasive. Degenerative disease is prevented or rolled back. Longevity – healthy active longevity – is increased. This has worked for over 2000 patients.
This blog is just starting. There will be videos, books, ebooks, ebooklets, on-line analysis tools, in short, everything you will need. Some will be free, and some will not. None of it, though, will be expensive.
For now we are just getting started. A lot more information is coming, so please stay tuned.